Causes and Risk Factors of Allergies
Your risk of developing allergies is higher if you:
- Have asthma or eczema
- Have a family history of asthma or allergies
- Are younger than 18
Children sometimes outgrow allergies as they get older. It’s also not uncommon for allergies to go away and then return years later.
Children who have food allergies are more likely to also have a respiratory allergy, eczema, or asthma, compared with children who don’t have food allergies.
Allergic Reactions
Allergens are typically harmless substances that trigger an immune response and cause a reaction in people who are allergic. The allergic reaction occurs if the person inhales, touches, swallows, injects, or somehow comes into contact with the allergen. Allergic reactions can be mild, severe, or even life-threatening.
Normally, the immune system protects the body against harmful substances, such as viruses or bacteria. But if you have allergies, “your body responds to allergens as if they were invaders,” explains Clifford Bassett, MD, a clinical assistant professor at New York University Langone Health in New York City. “Your body exaggerates the immune response. That’s what causes histamine release and other things that cause allergy misery.”
The most common allergens that trigger allergic reactions include:
- Pollen
- Dust mites
- Pet dander or fur
- Mold spores
- Foods
- Insect stings or bites
- Medicines, such as penicillin
- Latex
Touching certain metals like nickel, cobalt, and chromates can also cause an allergic reaction (contact dermatitis).
Seasonal Allergies
Seasonal allergies and hay fever are usually caused by pollen in the air that appears during different seasons in various places across the country.
Allergy triggers may vary depending on geographic location and climate, but relocating to avoid seasonal allergies generally doesn’t help. Pollen and mold spores travel great distances, and people with allergies often develop sensitivities to other allergens in a different location.
Research shows that environmental factors, such as pollution and climate change associated with rising temperatures, may be contributing to a rise in allergies. Changes in the duration and intensity of pollen and mold seasons mean more people are exposed to allergens for longer amounts of time.
“That’s a longer period of time for your eyes and nose and throat to become symptomatic as a result,” Dr. Bassett says.
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